It is unlikely the Tories will be in a position to take control of the city council in May but they are hoping to build on the two-seat gain they made last year.

Grime is the thrust of their campaign with a pledge to restore free garden waste collection, a service for which a £35-a-year charge, dubbed the garden tax, was introduced last year. Free bulky waste collections would also be restored. They claim the charges have led to a sharp rise in fly-tipping across the city.

In a further move, they want to create dedicated clean up crews for every area to tackle litter, dog mess and keep the streets clean.

Conservative Group leader Robert Alden (Con Erdington) said: "We are hugely proud of our great city, but it is being let down by the city council.

"Residents deserve a clean and safe city. One where a child is given the best education possible, the best start in life. Residents deserve a council that focuses on ensuring the whole city benefits from economic growth, not just the city centre.

"We are delivering a full manifesto which covers key pledges in different areas all across the council, focused on ensuring the city council delivers for hard working Brummies."

In December last year Birmingham's Labour MPs called for the controversial green tax to be suspended following the publication of a report into the garden waste debacle.

But the Labour-run council insisted it was sticking to the charged service for 2015 and pledged to make improvements to ensure the collection of grass cuttings runs smoothly.

A watchdog committee review urged the council to increase options for payment, install technology in lorries to locate and record collections, ensure residents had clear information, tackle fly-tipping and develop community compost schemes and other alternatives to doorstep collections.

The sustainability committee's report concluded the service was introduced in a rushed manner and many mistakes were made as a result.

And last month John Hemming, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Yardley, lost a High Court appeal against the city council over green waste but has vowed to take it to the Supreme Court.

Mr Hemming launched a court bid against the garden waste policy last year, saying the city council had a duty to collect waste dumped by residents who refused to pay for green bins.

In the latest development, Mr Justice Wilkie, in the High Court sitting in Birmingham, ruled in favour of the council, with Mr Hemming ordered to pay its £13,101 costs from the case so far, plus additional costs from the recent case, which are likely to be between £4,000 and £5,000.

Judge Zara had ruled Mr Hemming's application for a litter abatement order needed to concern a particular piece of land and could not cover a whole constituency.